Christian family members are to keep on loving one another. They should also display love through hospitality shown to strangers (Leviticus 19:34). Some, like Abraham and Lot, entertained angels without knowing it (Genesis 18:2-10; 19:1-3). Such displays would gain a good name for Christians.
The writer of Hebrews also encouraged them to be mindful of those who were bound and in prison. Prisoners imprisoned because of wearing the name of Jesus especially deserved the sympathy of a loving people (Hebrews 13:1-3).
Jesus’ followers should exhibit proper conduct in marriage, God’s established place to satisfy natural sexual desires. The inspired penman also warned against the sins that so often slip in on those who do not keep their marriages honorable (Hebrews 13:4).
Worldly greed should be rigorously avoided. Christians should be happy in the state in which they found themselves. God will, after all, not forsake the righteous (Psalm 37:25). All things will work out for the best as long as God is on one’s side (Romans 8:28, 31). This realization should help one to affirm the bold statement of Psalm 118:6, which displays total trust (Hebrews 13:5-6).
The brethren were instructed to keep their rulers, or leaders (Milligan), in mind. After all, they had taught the word of God to the believers, thereby displaying a faith worthy of imitation. This resulted from considering the type of life these men led (Hebrews 13:7).
God’s children should imitate the constancy of Christ and be constant dependable like him. They were to remain steady in the faith since its foundation is firm and unchangeable. The writer pled with the brethren to hold tight to the firm doctrine of Christ and not go off into a strange, unstable, doctrine. The gracious doctrine of Christ is good to hold to and is much to be preferred over the doctrines of men and the Judaizing teachers (Hebrews 13:8-9).
Christians gather around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice for them (1 Corinthians 10:18; 9:13). Eating of the altar would seem to be to partaking of the Lord’s Supper, whereby Christ’s sacrifice is remembered. They were reminded of the beasts whose blood was brought into the sanctuary by the high priest (Leviticus 16:27). The bull for a sin offering was carried outside the camp to be burned, paralleling the death of Jesus outside the camp of Jerusalem (John 19:20). This was symbolic of his being outside of the camp of Israel. Christians were encouraged to go without the camp and be with Christ, always ready to bear any reproach that might come as a result (Hebrews 13:10-13).
Christians seek a heavenly city, which will be eternal, through Jesus (Hebrews 11:10, 16). They should continually offer a continual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. The fruit of our lips is the words we speak. Part of that sacrifice is the confession of Jesus as God’s Son ((Romans 19:9-10). The other fruits would be the praise and thanksgiving previously mentioned (Hebrews 13:14-15).
God’s children should also offer up the good they can do in their lives, which includes telling others what they possess. It also entails obeying the leaders, or elders, since they have been given the task of watching over the flock, or congregation, and see that each sheep receives the proper spiritual food (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). Members of the flock should be subject to the elders’ authority, because they have the job of watching over the souls of the flock. Elders rejoice in knowing some under their authority are truly in subjection to the truth (3 John 4). If they have to render a final account of a soul in grief, then it would not be profitable for that soul (Hebrews 13:16-17).
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